Cameron Turner (Mahershala Ali) is terminally ill, but he has the chance to spare his family from watching him die. “Swan Song” explores the difference between sacrifice and selfishness as Turner battles between his two options – should he tell his family that he has limited time left with them and allow them to grieve, or indistinguishably clone himself to spend the rest of their lives with “him?”
The film follows Turner as he goes through the process of cloning himself and transferring his memories to his carbon copy, Jack. As the viewer watches him struggle with the idea of “someone else” experiencing precious moments with his wife and child, you can’t help but question what you’d do in the same scenario. Would you leave your family with your identical clone and die in a facility, alone? Or would you spend your final moments with the people you love the most?
The audience can’t help but fall in love with Turner’s family through his memories, heightening the emotions and making the overarching question of sacrifice or selfishness even harder to decide.
With the use of futuristic visuals, Director Benjamin Cleary firmly orients the viewer in a technologically advanced world. His imaginative innovations add to the setting and tone of the film, with self-driving cars, vision contacts that record what the characters see and 3D video games all causing viewers to anticipate the next cool technological development that will pop up on the screen.
Initially, “Swan Song” feels like a suspense thriller. The vibe of the movie could be compared to the Netflix series “Black Mirror.” But if you’re waiting for an unexpected twist in the storyline, you might be disappointed with the outcome. The slow-burn movie keeps the audience on edge, hoping for an intense event to occur, but the film stays stagnant up to the end. So if you’re looking for fast-paced action and drama, you’ll be let down, but if you’re looking for a minimalist movie that will provoke outside the box thinking, then add “Swan Song” to your watchlist.
